Fast and Furious 8 Director Promises "New Direction" For Sequel

Despite the fact that Furious 7 became the biggest hit in the long-running Fast & Furious franchise, it took some time for producers to find a director for the eighth film. But with Straight Outta Compton's F. Gary Gray now helming the project, the director has spoken about what fans can expect from the next part.

In an interview with Collider, Gray explained that it was important to him and actor/producer Vin Deisel that they give audiences something different this time round. "I'm extremely excited about the direction we're going in," he said. "We're really pushing to make sure the audience feels like it's not more of the same. They feel like it's fresh, they feel like the characters they've come to know and love are there, but this is gonna be different, and that's probably the most I can give you right now."

Gray explained that the key to the film's success would be the balance of action and character-driven plot. "When you look at someone like JJ Abrams who gives you the spectacle and great action set pieces, but also gives you character and plotting and narrative, I think it's my job--and my intention--to do both," he said. "You amp up everything, you work on the performances, you work on the story, you work on the action. It's just not one thing."

While Gray would not reveal anything specific about the film, he did hint that it would have a globe-trotting flavour. "I can say that we've flown around the world to scout," he stated. "It's pretty profound some of the things that we've uncovered and how it's gonna serve our story."

Furious 8 is yet to start shooting, but with a confirmed release date of April 14, 2017, it is expected that production will commence in the next few months.

In November it was revealed that producers were exploring how to extend the series beyond Furious 8. Diesel has already promised a further three films, and also suggested that spinoff movies could be in the works. "We've written out story lines for various characters," he told Variety. "We've been playing with it for a long time. It's a very rich property and we're committed to treating it with a lot of class."